{"id":819320,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/819320/?format=json","text_counter":251,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Makueni, WDM-K","speaker_title":"Hon. Daniel Maanzo","speaker":{"id":2197,"legal_name":"Daniel Kitonga Maanzo","slug":"daniel-kitonga-maanzo"},"content":"There is a challenge in management and how we deal with harvesting. The people who guard the forests sometimes sell the trees illegally to friends at night. Sometimes, there are licences which are forged. This is a shared function between the national Government and county governments. There must be a role of the county governments and the national Government. Monies were allocated in the past for afforestation. The same went missing but investigations are going on. We want a situation whereby the matter of afforestation is taken very seriously by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. We have seen efforts by Mr. Tobiko who is the new Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry. We have seen efforts by the Kenya Forest Service. There is change of management and policy which will be passed by this House. The Committee has proposed drafting and enactment of an Act of Parliament which will manage the forests. The penalties should be stiff, so that whoever cuts a tree can pay sufficiently or be charged in a court of law, if he breaks that particular law. People in the whole country should be encouraged to protect indigenous trees. The community forests associations like the one Hon. Washiali talked about should be supported, so that we can make sure that the water towers are protected. Most forests are water towers."}